Auricula Journal — Nederlandsch Bloemwerk 1794 & Gottorfer Codex 1649

In 1794, the Amsterdam publisher J.B. Elwe issued Nederlandsch Bloemwerk — one of the least common jewels of 18th-century Dutch botanical illustration — with a copper engraving of Primula auricula surrounded by a dynamic constellation of lepidoptera: butterflies, moths, and caterpillars depicted at various stages of their life cycle, a neoclassical balance between naturalistic precision and decorative beauty that makes it as compelling as a work of art as it is as a document of natural history. The back cover presents a plate from the Gottorfer Codex, Volume 2, painted in gouache on vellum between 1649 and 1659 by Hans-Simon Holtzbecker — the Hamburg flower painter commissioned by Duke Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp to document the extraordinary gardens of Gottorf Castle — showing eight varieties of Primula × pubescens arranged in the symmetrical, catalogue-like disposition of a royal garden inventory, the opaque pigments lending each flower a velvety density that translates with exceptional fidelity to the matte laminated cover. Together they span a century and a half of European Auricula cultivation, from the velvet-textured court gardens of 17th-century Schleswig-Holstein to the neoclassical print rooms of late 18th-century Amsterdam.

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Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal with matte laminated full-wrap cover
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 250 g (0.55 lbs)
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print; small 0.5"×0.5" production barcode on back

Perfect For

• Botanical art collectors and natural history illustration enthusiasts
• Lovers of Dutch Golden Age and Baroque court art
• Auricula and Primula growers and garden history aficionados
• Admirers of lepidoptera illustration in the Dutch naturalist tradition
• Collectors drawn to rare botanical publications and the gouache on vellum tradition
• Thoughtful gift for gardeners, historians, and lovers of fine illustrated books